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The Hobbit House (Wales/ U.K.)

This cozy hobbit-like home was built by Simon Dale for his family in Wales while they worked in the area doing ecological woodland management and setting up a forest garden. With the help of friends & passers by it was ready for moving in within 4 months.
An estimated 1000-1500 man hours and £3000 in materials went into building it, which is not very much in house buying terms.
It was built with maximum regard for the environment using scrap wood for flooring and bales of straw on dry-stone walling for the interior walls. The house also has lime plaster walls instead of cement and a compost toilet. Water gets diverted from a nearby spring and solar panels provide power.
The main tools used were a chainsaw, hammer and 1 inch chisel. Simon had no building or carpentry skills beforehand but that didn't stop him from trying. He says: "This kind of building is accessible to anyone. My main relevant skills were being able bodied, having self belief and perseverence and a mate or two to give a lift now and again."